Fearful Memories
by Kristen3
Summary: When David is injured and rushed to the hospital while playing Little League, Daphne recalls how she almost lost Niles at the same hospital. Post-"Goodnight, Seattle."
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **I must dedicate this fic to the one and only Andrea (iloveromance) for being so supportive and enthusiastic of this story before a word of it was even written! Hope you like it! :) Also thanks to Leigh Ann (leighann415) for reading drafts of this as I wrote!

Daphne walked out of her doctor's office, grateful her appointment was now over with. She hadn't been feeling well lately, and she wanted to make sure there was nothing seriously wrong with her. Thankfully, the doctor had told her there wasn't. She would just need to remember to rest a bit more and not try to overdo it. As she walked back out to the car, she heard her cellphone ring. The caller ID told her it was Niles. She smiled immediately. Niles had gone with their son, David, to his very first Little League practice. Daphne had wanted to go, too, but this was the only time the doctor had been able to see her. No doubt Niles was calling to ask how the appointment had gone, and to let her know whether or not thier son took after the Crane boys' legendary lack of athetic ability. "Hello, my darling," Daphne said as she answered the call.

"Daphne, I - I don't know how to tell you this, but David's been injured."

Daphne laughed. "Oh, I'm sure it isn't that bad. You told me you and Frasier got hurt playing sports all the time. And me own brothers were forever breaking bones in some sport or another!"

"No, Daphne, I'm serious. There was a group of bigger kids playing on the next field, and someone hit the ball way over into the field where David's team was praticing. It hit him in the head. The coach just called 911. He says David needs to go the emergency room just to make sure it's nothing serious."

Daphne stopped in her tracks. How could this be happening? Their precious son, who'd been so excited about playing baseball and making his Grandpa proud, was now on the way to the emergency room? No, it couldn't be. Things like this weren't supposed to happen to her. She and Niles had a perfect life together. Their love seemed to get stronger by the day. Daphne reminded herself to breathe. Above all, she needed to stay calm. Being a healthcare worker, she knew that the best thing to do in a crisis is to not panic. So she forced herself to take a deep breath. Then she asked her husband, "What hospital are they taking him to?"

"Seattle General," Niles replied. He and his father were already on their way to the hospital now, following the ambulance.

Daphne felt her heart stop when she heard those words. She tried her best not to think about the last time she'd been to Seattle General. That time, she had nearly lost Niles when he needed emergency open-heart surgery. And it seemed that, now, another person she loved dearly might be put in jeopardy at that same hospital.


	2. Chapter 2

The whole time Daphne drove to the hospital, her heart was pounding. Thoughts raced through her mind at lightning speed. Thoughts of her sweet son, who'd been so excited to play baseball. Even Niles had gotten into the spirit, telling David about the time he'd made a half-court shot at a Sonic's game. Daphne had enjoyed the sight of her husband and her son bonding. She knew Niles treasured those moments as well, because he had never had them with his own father.

Up until the minute Daphne had answered that phone call, it had seemed that she and Niles were living a fairytale, immune to any sort of trouble or worry. But that had all been an illusion. Daphne could see that now. When Daphne parked the car, she immediately ran into the hospital and saw her husband seated in a waiting room.

"Daphne," Niles said, standing when he saw his wife running towards him at top speed.

"Where is he? Can I see him?" she asked when she got to where he was standing.

Niles greeted his wife with a hug, making soft, comforting "shhh" sounds into her ear in an effort to calm her. "They're just running some tests on him now, and then we can see him."

Daphne pulled out of the embrace, wiping a tear from her cheek. "How could this have happened?"

Niles shrugged. "I guess it was just a freak accident. These things happen."

"'These things happen'?" Daphne replied. "Niles, this is our son! How can you be so calm?"

Niles took his wife by the hand and led her to a quieter part of the waiting area. "My love, I'm every bit as concerned for David as you are. But panicking is not going to make things any better. I've spoken to the doctors, and they seem quite capable of tending to David's injuries. The best thing for us to do now is just wait and let them do their jobs."

Daphne looked into her husband's eyes and forced herself to relax. "I'm sorry, darling. I didn't mean to snap at you like that. It's just that this is the same hospital where..." She was unable to finish her sentence, as new tears welled up in her eyes.

Immediately Niles put his arms around her, softly stroking her back and hair. "My love, what is it?" he gently asked.

Daphne once again collected herself. "This is the same hospital where you had your surgery," she whispered. Just saying the words aloud made her heart break. The memories were still as vivid and as painful as they were when it happened. She wrapped her arms around Niles, holding him for dear life.

"Oh, my love," Niles said, now realizing why his wife was so upset. "I had completely forgotten. I can understand why you're so frightened. But look at me. I'm still here, aren't I? And I'm sure David will be just fine, too." He kissed Daphne's cheek, on the exact spot where a tear had fallen.

Daphne put her arms around Niles once more, resting her cheek on his shoulder. She was grateful she could hear his heart beating, healthy and strong. "I know, and I thank God every day that you're alive. I don't know what I'd ever do if I lost you or David. You're me whole world."

Niles kissed her forehead tenderly. "My love, you and David are _my_ whole world. You've been my world ever since the day I met you. And that's never going to change."

Daphne kissed him, wondering for the millionth time how she'd gotten this lucky. For just a moment, she and Niles were lost in each other's eyes, forgetting the hospital, their fears, and everything else, except their need for one another.

The spell was broken by a young doctor who approached the two of them, clearing his throat. "You're Dr. and Mrs. Crane, right? David's parents."

"That's right," Daphne immediately answered. "How is he?"

The doctor smiled. "He's just fine. He's awake now, and he's asking for both of you."


	3. Chapter 3

Niles and Daphne walked to their son's room hand in hand. Daphne was grateful she had Niles there with her. She had no idea what she would've done if he wasn't there to comfort her. The thought made her shudder. But she reminded herself that she didn't have to face this alone. She had Niles, and Martin. Though she and Martin fought regularly over his diet and his reluctance to do his excercises, Daphne loved him as much as she did her own father. Or possibly even more, since he was the whole reason she met Niles, and therefore, she had him to thank for all the wonderful things that had followed.

Just before they walked in to see thier son, Niles stopped and quickly faced Daphne. "My love," he said, touching his forehead to hers. "We can't let David see how worried we were. He's going to be just fine, so the last thing we want to do is scare him."

"You're right," Daphne agreed. She took a deep breath, hoping to calm herself down. David had never been in a hospital before, other than shortly after his birth. The last thing she wanted to do was give him the idea that hospitals were horrible, scary places. She quickly kissed Niles. "Thank you."

"For what?" Niles asked.

"Everything. I don't know what I'd have done if you weren't here to get me through this," Daphne replied.

"Don't think about that," Niles said, gently caressing her cheek. "What matters is, I _am_ here, and I'm always going to be here for you and David."

Daphne squeezed his hand, then kissed the back of it. In that small gesture, she told Niles how much she loved him, and let him know that once they were home, she would find a way to remind him one more time.

Niles held Daphne's hand as they finally made their way into their son's room.

David's face lit up at the sight of his parents. Immediately Daphne went to him and kissed his cheek. She began to gently stroke his hair as she asked him how he was feeling.

"I'm OK, I guess," David said. "Other than this." He pointed to a bandage on his head. "My head sort of hurts, but it's not too bad."

Daphne kissed her son once more, glad that he seemed to be suffering no ill effects from what had happened. She looked at Niles and saw that he was also relieved at their son's condition.

As Niles watched his wife and son, he was once again overwhelmed with gratitude for the kind of mother Daphne was. It was obvious just how much she loved her son. Niles had spent a lot of time teaching David and helping with his homework, but there were certain things he knew Daphne would always be better at. Handling sickness or injury was definitely one of them. Not only was Niles still just as squeamish as ever, but Daphne had a natural ability to care for others. That quality never ceased to amaze Niles, especially when compared to other women he'd been with. Suddenly, David's voice brought Niles out of his thoughts.

"Hey, Dad, is Grandpa here?"

Niles nodded. "Sure is. You want to see him?"

"Yeah," David said. "I want to say I'm sorry I screwed up in my very first Little League practice." He looked down, clearly ashamed of himself. Niles immediately went back out into the hall to retrieve his father.

Daphne smiled sympathetically at her son. "I'm sure your grandfather is proud of you just for trying your best to play baseball. He loves you, and he knows this wasn't your fault. It was just an accident, sweetheart."

Just then, Martin and Niles came into the room. "Hey, David," Martin said. "How are you feeling?"

"OK, I guess. My head hurts a little," David replied with a shrug.

"Well, that's good. I'm sure you'll be good as new soon, and you'll be right out there on the ballfield," Martin said. When Daphne caught his eye and gave him a warning look, Martin continued. "I mean, if you want to play again. But...sports aren't everything...I guess."

"See?" Daphne said to her son. "I told you your grandfather wouldn't be upset."

"No, David, I'm not disappointed in you at all," Martin said. "Your dad and your Uncle Frasier were never great athletes, but I still love them."

"I know," David said. "But Dad was telling me how excited you were that time he made the shot at the Sonic's game."

"Well, yeah, I was proud of your dad for that. But I lived with your Uncle Frasier for eleven years, and one of the things I learned from that is that it doesn't really matter whether or not somebody's good at sports," Martin said. "It took me a lot of years to learn that, but I finally did."

Daphne found herself blinking back tears when she heard what her father-in-law said. She'd been an eyewitness to the change in Martin's relationships with his two sons. Sometimes she forgot how far he'd come since she first took that job as his physical therapist. But at times like this, the memories came flooding back. She reached over and took his hand, squeezing it slightly.

Martin looked over at her, smiled and squeezed her hand in return.


	4. Chapter 4

David's doctors were initially reluctant to let Niles and Daphne take him home. They would have preferred to observe him overnight, just to be safe. But when Niles explained that both he and Daphne had backgrounds in healthcare, they agreed that David could leave.

Once he was home, David went into his room to play. This left Niles and Daphne alone to finally relax after all the worries about their son's wellbeing. They went upstairs to the master bedroom, both knowing that sleep was not on the agenda. "Well, we won't forget this Little League practice, will we?" Daphne asked with a laugh.

"I should've known it would end like this," Niles replied. "The Crane boys and sports just don't mix well! But I'm glad David at least wanted to try it. And who knows, maybe he will learn to enjoy baseball. He could even end up pitching for the Seahawks one day!"

Daphne kissed her husband. "I think you mean the Mariners," she said with a laugh. After a moment, she added, "Your father really surprised me today."

"How so?" Niles asked.

"What he said to David, about how he's learned that it doesn't matter if a person's good at sports or not. I'd forgotten how much he's changed over all these years."

Niles grinned. "Well, if Dad's outlook has changed, it's all thanks to you. You were the one who got him to go on with his life after he was shot."

Daphne shrugged. "I didn't really do that much. If anybody's turned his life around, it's Ronee."

"OK, Ronee may have something to do with it," Niles admitted. "But it was all those years you spent taking care of him. You changed his life. Actually, you changed _all _our lives." He lifted Daphne's chin up so he could look into her beautiful brown eyes. He let out a blissful sigh when the scent of her perfume reached his nose.

Daphne kissed Niles once more, overwhelmed by the love she felt for him. She thought about all the years they'd known each other, the times that he was there for her, even when she wasn't aware of his true feelings. She often wondered how she could deserve the wonderful life she and Niles were living. But she pushed those thoughts from her mind. Right now, all that mattered was that Niles was here, right by her side, where she knew that he always would be. She smiled as she took her husband's hand and led him to their bed. Words alone would not be enough to tell Niles how much she loved him. But, tonight, she planned to show him.

**The End**


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